OSCAR NOMINEES In Brazil, slum poverty goes on

The success of 'City of God' has had little effect on its namesake slum.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- It seems a hopeless place, much like its namesake movie that's competing for four Academy Awards -- dusty and unrelentingly hot, with rotting wooden shacks and chickens scratching at piles of fetid garbage.
Cidade de Deus (Portuguese for "City of God") is like any of the other 600-plus slums in Rio de Janeiro, where gorgeous beaches and wealthy neighborhoods contrast with the destitution in poor areas known as "favelas," or slums.
"Nothing has made this neighborhood better. Frankly, after that movie we expected some action from the government to improve living conditions here. Nothing, nothing happened," said Alexandre do Rego Lima, president of the Cidade de Deus neighbors association.
Cidade de Deus was founded 38 years ago, but it was not until recently that its name gained international attention from the movie "City of God," directed by Oscar-nominated Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles.
A look back
When it was new back in the 1960s, Cidade de Deus looked like it could honor its name by providing job opportunities for thousands of homeless who lost everything to rains and landslides and were desperately searching for a new start.
There was a solid reason for that hope. Cidade de Deus was only about three miles from the rich seaside neighborhood of Barra -- often called "Rio's Miami" -- which was expected to supply jobs for the electricians, handymen, bricklayers and housemaids of Cidade de Deus.
But Cidade de Deus attracted more people than it could afford.
The job market was too small for the legions pouring in. Apartments built for families of four became home to 10 or more. Soon it was just another favela deprived of most basic services.
Meirelles' film reflects the reality of life in the favelas, telling the story of young people trapped in a whirl of drugs and violence.
Many of the favelas, home to at least 20 percent of Rio's 6 million people, are virtually run by drug lords. Because of the poverty and lack of education, youngsters are easy prey for traffickers who pay much more than any decent job -- something tough to find anyway.
The slum's poverty has been compounded by Rio de Janeiro's declining economy and the ensuing fall in the quality of life. The state of Rio now ranks fifth in life quality among Brazilian regions -- down from third place 10 years ago.
Issue of discrimination
People in Cidade de Deus feel Meirelles' movie has made discrimination against poor neighborhoods worse.
"People already tend to distrust those living in favelas. When job applicants say where they live, they get doomed. 'Cidade de Deus? No, you don't fit here.' That is what we have gotten," said Enair Martines Goncalves, a community leader. "We have been stigmatized by the movie."
The movie at least has brought business for Enisia Melo, who runs a video store. She says her three VHS and two DVD copies of the film have been rented daily since the Oscar nominations were announced in January. Each copy leases for $1.37 a day.
Videos are the best way for people in the community to see the film. Cidade de Deus has no movie theater -- nor does it have a technical school or hospital, despite its estimated population of 120,000.
Alexandre do Rego Lima, the neighborhood association president, said he saw the movie on video and blamed lack of government action for the drug violence it depicted.
"Drugs are a result of lack of investments for the youth," he said. "Without education, without progress, people tend to turn to gangs. The movie ... gives a vision of violence in the neighborhood, but nothing has been done to fight it effectively.
"Politicians come here with their promises only at election time. Then nothing is done and the community is forgotten," do Rego Lima said.